Improvement in lighting gas



' w. w. BATCHELDER.

Gas Lighter.

Patented Nov. 3, 1868.

My PETERS. PNOTO-LITMOGRAPHER,WASHINGTON. u. G.

liutzd 5am; ate-ni r fnk a 'WQ BIATCHELDER, OF EW YORK, N. Y i l Letters Patent No. 83,593, dated November 3,1sos.;

it reaches the vicinity of the burner,w here it is, by

To whom it may concern;

Be'it known that I, W. W. BATGHELDER, of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method 'of and Means for Lighting Gas; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de-' My object in this invention is to simplify and render more effective the apparatus heretofore employed by me for this above-named purpose, and at the same time to producea better fuse, and one more adapted to insure the ignition of the gas.

Under my former inventiomthe gas is ignited by means of a friction-fuse of highly-inflammable composition, which is fed forward by suitable devices, until means of a friction-device, inflamed, and the flame thus produced, coming in contact with the gas issuing from the burner, causes its ignition.

. My present invention relates toan'improvedmethod of effecting the feed of the fuse, and, to this end, it consists in the use, for this purpose, of two feed-racks or pinions, so constructed and arranged as to meshv tightly, and at the same time to admit of the passage of the fuse between them. One of the pinions is operated by means of an endless screw, or equivalent device, and when rotated, it communicates its motion to the other, so that both of the pinions have a positive motion, thus assuring, with great certainty, the feed of the fuse. I

My invention further consists in an improved chemical process for rendering the fuse combustible and inflammable. I have found thatithe preliminary operation, described in Letters Patent above referred to, of drawingthe cord or tape which form's the body of the fuse through collodion, is not essential, and that by dispensing with it, the combustible quality of the fuse is increased, and a greater flame is produced. I therefore first steep the cord in a bath of phosphorus, heldin solution by bisulphide of carbon, the cord becoming more readily and perfectly saturated than it would if it were first passedthrough collodion, and then draw it through collodion, after-which it is dried and coated with shellac varnish in the usual manner.

invention also consists in-the arrangement and combination of the feed-devices and fuse with the tubular-case within which the same are enclosed; and also in an improved construction and arrangement of the parts of the apparatus, so that they may be readily applied to and held in place on the burner with which the apparatus is used, as will be hereinafter explained.

To enable others to understand and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, by ref-' erence to the accompanying drawings.

That part of theapparatuswhichsurrounds the gasburner A, is composed of a fuse-receptacle, a, and cap or cover, I). The receptacle and its cap have circular openings formed in them centrally, to admit of the passage of the burner which they encircle. The cap or cover 72 carries, in addition, a tube or sleeve, 0, forming part of the cap, and fitting around the burner A. The lower endof this sleeve is-provided with an internal flange, d, upon which the base of the burner rests.

That portion, B, of the gas-fixture, upon which the burner is mounted,passes up through the opening in the bottom of the fuse-receptacle, and is screwed into the burner until theshoulder c strikes against the bottom of the receptacle. 7

By now giving a turn or two to'the part B,'or to the burner, the bottom of the fusereceptacle, and the flange d on the bottom of the sleeve 0, will be pressed tightly together, between the shoulder e and the base of the burner, thus holding the cap" and receptacle firmly and tightly in their proper relations to each other and to the burner.

The tube 0 is encircled by 'a spool or friction-sleeve, f,upon which the fuse g, saturated and coated with the ingredients above named, is wound.

Upon one side of the cap 12 is placed the upright case 0, the top of which is level, or nearly so, with the top of the burner. This case has two passages, h i, formed in it, the one, It, forming the bearing in which the spindle D revolves, the other, i, the passage through which the fuse is conducted to the fixedrolls or pinions K K. These rolls are mounted in the upper part of the case,

as shown in fig. 2, being so arranged as to present their teeth to each other. Their construction and arrangement, with relation to each other, are shown more plainly in fig. 3. They are cut away atone end, It, so as to receive and afford a passage for the fuse between them, while at the other end, It, they gear with each other, as will be plainly 'seen by reference to the figure. The outer pinion of rack gears with an endless screw, 1, formed upon the spindle D, so that when the spindle is turned to the right, the said pinion will be caused to revolve in the proper direction for effecting the feed of the fuse. As these two pinions are geared together, as above explained, the rotary movement of the one is communicated to the other, and the fuse, which, passing up from the fuse-receptaclethrough the passage 2', is held between theteeth on their smaller ends, it, is grasped and fed forward by their combined movementl The spindle I) is prevented from being withdrawn from the case by the frictiompin or spur m, formed on sage over it of the spur, is ignited, and; burns with a considerable flame. This flame meeting the gas which issues from the burner, causes its ignition.

It will be noticed that by using two racks or feedpinions, such as described, which both move in the proper direction to effect the feed of the fuse, the latter is forced or fed forward with certainty, and there is no danger of the fuse becoming clogged, or impededin its movement towards the burner. The method, also, of enclosing the whole of the feed-apparatus within the case G, is productive of considerable advantage, as the devices are thereby kept from unnecessary exposure, and are protected from dust.

The case 0 is formed oftwo pieces, held together by means of a screw, x, or other suitable means.

The manner, also, of holding the apparatus to the burner, admits of the fuse-receptacle being opened with great ease, whenever it becomes necessary to put 11 a fresh supply of the fuse, all that is necessary to do in such a case being to unscrew the burner and remove the cap. After the requisite quantity of fuse has been placed on the spool, its upper end being of course passed up, through the passage 1), to its proper position between the feed-racks, the cap is again placed upon the' fusereceptacle, and the burner screwed down on the part B, the apparatus thus b ing again ready-for use.

In order to prevent the rotation of the spindle D in a direction which will cause the racks k to revolve in such manner as to cause the downward movement of the fuse,the thumb-piece s, which is applied to the lower end of the spindle, is loosely mounted on the same. Projecting downward from the base .of the thumb-piece are one or more studs or teeth, t, which fit in the teeth of a circular rack, the teeth 4) of which are formed with inclined faces, as-shown in the drawings. Instead of the teeth t, a correspondingly-shaped rack may be formed on the base of the thumb-piece, the parts tand 'v constituting, in effect, a clutch, which, when the thumb-piece is turned to the right, engage with each other, so as to effect the revolution of the spindle, which, in turning, causes the revolution of the racks, and the feed-movement of the fuse.

- If, however, the thumb-piece be turned in the opposite direction, the inclined faces of the clutches t and i; will ride over one another, and thespindle will remain stationary, the thumb-piece alone being moved. The retraction of-the fuse from between the feed-racks is thus effectually and surely guarded against.

Having now described my invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be 'carriedinto effect,

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat: cut -is-- 1 The friction-fuse or cord, saturated and coated with the ingredients and in the manner herein set forth.

2. The method of efi'ecting the feed of the fuse by means of two racks or pinions, constructed and arranged so as to admit of the passage of the fuse between them, the said pinions being operated by a spindle and endless screw, or equivalent device, substantially as set forth.

'3. The combination, with the feed-pinions or racks and fuse, and the spindle for operating the racks, and effecting the combustion of the fuse, of 'the hollow standard-case, in which the said spindle and racks are supported and enclosed, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, with the rotary spindle for operating the feed-racks, of a thumb-piece, mounted upon the spindle, substantially as herein described, so as to prevent the retraction of the fuse from between the said racks.

5. The fuse-receptacle, constructed as described, in combination with the gas-burner, under the arrangement herein shown and specified.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, before two subscribing witnesses.

. W. W. BATGHELDER.

Witnesses M. BAILEY, WILLIAM Fr'ren. 

